- Once the skies turn red, we will be brought to Earth-Zero... and I will use the deaths of the Justice League to destroy the Multiverse!
- — Pariah
Dark Crisis #1 is an issue of the series Dark Crisis (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 2022. It was published on June 7, 2022.
Synopsis for "Chapter One: The Justice League Is Dead"
Following the apparent death of the Justice League, the world's minor to mid-level supervillains and doomsday cults are all launching attacks at once, but the major threats have stayed strangely quiet. Hal Jordan returns from space and asks what has happened to the Justice League. Jon Kent and Wally West take him to Black Adam, who tells the story of their confrontation with the Dark Army, but Hal is obviously skeptical of the former supervillain. He tells Wally to search for Barry and the missing Justice League, while he will determine if the Great Darkness is still active somewhere. With the two senior heroes occupied elsewhere, Jon decides to found a new Justice League. The new Batman and Wonder Girl reject him, but he pulls together a lineup of misfits. Jon unveils his ad-hoc League and asks Black Adam to join them but Adam resigns and returns to Khandaq. Before he leave he tells Jon that they are unfit for the challenge they're facing. Meanwhile, Deathstroke leads the Secret Society of Supervillains in an all-out assault on Titans Academy.
In Multiverse-2 Pariah, now wearing armour like the Anti-Monitor's, watches them and talks to the Great Darkness. It is revealed the Justice League are alive and Pariah is planning to invade Earth 0 and destroy the Multiverse from there.
Appearing in "Chapter One: The Justice League Is Dead"
Featured Characters:
- Black Adam (Flashback and main story) (Also in a vision)
- Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (Flashback and main story) (Also in a vision)
- Nightwing/Robin (Dick Grayson) (Flashback and main story) (Also in a vision)
- Superman (Jon Kent) (Also in a vision)
Supporting Characters:
- Batman (Jace Fox) (Also in a vision)
- The Flash (Wally West) (Flashback and main story)
- Green Lantern (Jo Mullein) (Flashback and main story)
- Jon Kent's Justice League (First appearance)
- Aquaman (Jackson Hyde) (Joins team)
- Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) (Flashback and main story) (Joins team)
- Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) (Flashback and main story) (Joins team)
- Booster Gold (Flashback and main story) (Joins team)
- Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi) (Also in a vision) (Joins team)
- Frankenstein (Joins team)
- Frost (Caitlin Snow) (Joins team)
- Harley Quinn (Joins team)
- Robin (Damian Wayne) (Flashback and main story) (Joins team)
- Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) (Flashback and main story) (Joins team)
- Titans
- Bunker (Cameo)
- Changeling (Apparent Death) (Flashback and main story)
- Cyborg (Flashback and main story)
- Kid Flash (Wallace R. West) (Flashback and main story)
- Raven (Flashback and main story)
- Red Arrow (Emiko Queen) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Roundhouse (William Wu) (Cameo)
- Speedy (Roy Harper) (Cameo) (Flashback only)
- Starfire (Flashback and main story)
- Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Wonder Girl (Yara Flor) (Also in a vision)
Antagonists:
- Bloodlines Parasites (Cameo)
- H.I.V.E. (Cameo)
- Kanjar Ro (Cameo)
- Kobra Cult
- The Manhunters (Cameo)
- Pariah/Kell Mossa (Pre-Crisis) (Flashback and main story)
- The Dark Army (Multiverse) (Flashback only) (Possessed) (Cameo)
- The Great Darkness (Corrupted)
- King Deathstroke (Possessed) (Also in a vision)
- Secret Society of Super-Villains (Cameo)
- Angle Man
- Black Spider
- Body Doubles
- Bug-Eyed Bandit
- Copperhead II
- Count Vertigo
- Crazy Quilt
- Doctor Destiny (John Dee)
- Doctor Phosporus
- Dollmaker (Barton Mathis)
- Felix Faust
- Firefly (Garfield Lynns)
- Flamingo
- Gentleman Ghost
- Girder
- Hellhound
- Hyena
- Multiplex
- Neutron
- Phobia (Angela Hawkins III)
- Prankster
- Prometheus
- Scavenger (Peter Mortimer)
- Shadow Thief (Carl Sands)
- Shaggy Man
- Shrapnel
- Silver Banshee
- Skorpio
- Slipknot
- Tattooed Man (Abel Tarrant)
- Toyman (Hiro Okamura) (Behind the scenes)
- Trident
- Typhoon (David Drake)
- Warp
- Secret Society of Super-Villains (Cameo)
- Trigger Twins
- Unnamed Amazon Monster (Single appearance)
- Vampires (Cameo)
Other Characters:
- Aqualad (Garth) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Artemis of Bana-Mighdall (Cameo)
- The Atom (Ray Palmer) (Cameo)
- The Atom (Ryan Choi) (Cameo)
- Bat-Family
- Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) (Cameo)
- Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) (Cameo)
- Batwoman (Kate Kane) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Big Barda (Cameo)
- Captain Cold (Cameo)
- Crush (Cameo)
- D.E.O. (Behind the scenes)
- Director Chase (Cameo)
- Doctor Fate (Khalid Nassour) (Cameo)
- Dove (Dawn Granger) (Cameo)
- Enchantress (June Moone) (Cameo)
- Etrigan (Cover only)
- Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond)
- Martin Stein (Behind the scenes)
- Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Green Lantern Corps
- Guy Gardner (Flashback and main story)
- Jessica Cruz (Flashback and main story)
- Kyle Rayner (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Simon Baz (Flashback and main story)
- Hawk (Hank Hall) (Cameo)
- Human Target (Christopher Chance) (Cameo)
- Jason Blood (Cameo)
- Justice League (Flashback and main story) (Also as a statue)
- Aquaman (Arthur Curry) (Revealed to be alive)
- Batman (Bruce Wayne) (Revealed to be alive)
- Black Canary (Dinah Drake) (Revealed to be alive)
- Emerald Knight/Green Lantern (John Stewart) (Revealed to be alive)
- The Flash (Barry Allen) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) (Revealed to be alive)
- Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) (Revealed to be alive)
- Martian Manhunter (Revealed to be alive)
- Superman (Clark Kent) (Revealed to be alive) (Flashback and main story) (Also as a statue)
- Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) (Revealed to be alive) (Flashback and main story) (Also as a statue)
- Zatanna (Revealed to be alive) (Cameo)
- Justice Society of America
- The Atom (Al Pratt)
- Black Canary (Dinah Drake I) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- The Flash (Jay Garrick) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Green Lantern (Alan Scott) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Hawkman (Carter Hall) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Hourman (Rex Tyler) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Jesse Quick (Cameo)
- Stargirl (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Knight (Beryl Hutchinson) (Cameo)
- Metal Men
- Miss Martian (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Mister Miracle (Scott Free) (Cameo)
- The Outsiders (Cameo)
- Black Lightning
- Katana
- Metamorpho
- The Signal (Duke Thomas) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Peacemaker (Cameo)
- Plastic Man (Cameo)
- Powerhouse/Naomi McDuffie (Unknown Earth) (Cameo)
- Red Tornado (Cameo)
- Shazam Family (Cameo)
- Sideways (Cameo)
- Squire (Cameo)
- Superman Family
- Krypto (Cameo)
- Lois Lane (Cameo)
- Steel (John Henry Irons) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Steel (Natasha Irons) (Cameo)
- Swamp Thing (Alec Holland) (Cameo)
- Titans Academy students
- Bolt (Alinta)
- Bratgirl (Cameo)
- Chupacabra (Apparent Death)
- Gorilla Gregg (Cameo)
- Matt Price (Cameo)
- Stitch (Cameo)
- Summer Zahid (Cameo)
- Vixen (Cameo)
- Wonder Twins
- Young Justice
- Impulse (Bart Allen) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Robin (Tim Drake) (Flashback and main story)
- Superboy (Conner Kent) (Flashback and main story)
- Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark) (Flashback and main story)
- Adrianna Tomaz (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Amazons (Mentioned only)
- Esquecida (Mentioned only)
- Justice League Incarnate (Multiverse) (Mentioned only)
- President Superman (Earth 23) (Mentioned only)
- Martha Wayne (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Pariah's family (Pre-Crisis) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Mart (Pariah's son)
- Sondra (Pariah's wife)
- Tarran (Pariah's daughter)
- Red X II (Mentioned only)
- Thomas Wayne (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Multiverse-1
- Earth 0
- Earth
- Atlantis (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Brazil
- Japan (Cameo)
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Central City (Flashback and main story)
- CCPD Headquarters
- Central City Crime Lab (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- CCPD Headquarters
- New York City
- Washington, D.C.
- D.E.O. Headquarters (Cameo)
- Hall of Justice
- Gotham City
- Crime Alley (Mentioned only)
- Central City (Flashback and main story)
- Kahndaq (Mentioned only)
- Earth
- Earth 23 (Unnamed) (Mentioned only)
- Speed Force (Behind the scenes)
- Earth 0
- Multiverse-2 (Flashback and main story)
- Aquaman's Paradise World (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Black Canary's Paradise World (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Earth-AD (Unnamed) (In ruins) (Flashback and main story)
- Earth-Batman (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Green Arrow's Paradise World (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Hawkgirl's Paradise World (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- John Stewart's Paradise World (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Martian Manhunter's Paradise World (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Superman's Paradise World (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Wonder Woman's Paradise World (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
- Zatanna's Paradise World (First appearance; unnamed) (Cameo)
Items:
- Antimatter Chamber (Revealed to be existing)
- Batsuits (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Batrope (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Utility Belt (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Bio-Belts
- Blue Beetle Scarab
- Bracelets of Submission (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Deathstroke's Sword
- Donna Troy's Lasso (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Eighth Metal
- Ares' Helmet (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Ares' Sword (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Lasso of Lightning (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Lasso of Truth (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Trident of Poseidon (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Wonder Woman's Tiara (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Yara Flor's Tiara
- Firefly's Flamethrower
- Firestorm Matrix (Cameo)
- Frankenstein's Sword
- Golden Boleadoras
- Green Lantern Ring (Flashback and main story)
- Helmet of Fate (Flashback and main story)
- Hermes' Helmet (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Hourman's Hourglass (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Ikon Suit
- Manhunter Armor (Cameo)
- Nekron's Scythe (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Nth Metal (Flashback and main story)
- Pariah's Armor (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Robin's Battle Staff (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Soultaker Sword (Cameo)
- Steel's Armor (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Tantu Totem (Cameo)
- Trick Arrows (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Waterbearers
Vehicles:
- Batcycle
- Batplane
- Kryptonian Rocket (Flashback only) (Cameo)
- Trigger Twins' Monster Truck
Events:
- Death of the Justice League (Flashback only)
- Trial of the Amazons (Mentioned only)
Concepts:
- Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum
- The Green (Behind the scenes)
- Magic
- Red Skies (Mentioned only)
Notes
- A second printing of this issue on August 30, 2022 had the updated full title of the series: Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.
- The wake of the Justice League takes place a week after the events of Justice League (Volume 4) #75 as well as a few days after the "Life of Purpose", "Team Up" and "Survivors" stories from Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1; the rest of the issue takes place around late September/early October 2021, weeks after the wake.
- This story reveals that Pariah didn't murder the Justice League but only trapped them in pocket dimensions, like he previously did with Barry Allen in Infinite Frontier #6.
- The lives of the Leaguers in their Paradise Worlds is shown in Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League (Volume 1).
- Although it isn't shown in any comic story, some time before the events of this issue, Cyborg and Changeling were eventually separated despite having been merged in a single being in Teen Titans Academy #9 as well as visually separated by Raven's magic in Teen Titans Academy #12.
- Jessica Cruz is shown to be once again a Green Lantern despite being part of the Sinestro Corps by the ending of Green Lantern (Volume 6).
Trivia
- An original version of the issue had Mary Marvel recruited in the new Justice League but was later changed to Supergirl.
- Many past and recent events are mentioned or referenced in this issue, including:
- Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost being a member of the JLA in Justice League of America (Volume 5);
- The recent creation of Blue & Gold Restoration in Blue & Gold (Volume 1);
- The havoc caused in Themyscira during the Trial of the Amazons;
- Red X's attack on the Titans Tower from Teen Titans Academy #9;
- Supergirl having just returned from her space adventures shown in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (Volume 1);
- President Superman warning the Justice League about the incoming arrival of the Dark Army in Justice League (Volume 4) #75.
- Deathstroke and his Secret Society launchinga full attack on every heroes on Earth, including the Titans, was foreshadowed in the epilogue of Shadow War: Omega #1.
- Pariah is shown wearing an armor which is very similar to the Anti-Monitor's as well as Superboy-Prime's.
- Firestorm/Ronnie Raymond refusing to join the Justice League because of some previous event is a reference to the events of Doomsday Clock (Volume 1) where Prof. Martin Stein was revealed to be the one behind the creation of the metahumans, including Firestorm himself.
See Also